Bottle washing, rinsing, and sterilizing machine.



v A.L.FOREMAN. BOTTLE WASHING, RINSING, AND STERIL IZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I910- 1,151,5ss. Patented Aug 24, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

mm-3m.- J M g A. -L. FOREMAN. BOTTLE WASHING, msmcg AND STERILIZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-3.1910.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[WEI/TOR 5 1M Jim \KQQWJK I TTIMIE A. L. FOREMAN. BOTTLE WASHING, RlNSlNG, AND STERIUZIN G MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILEQHAK. 3. QIO.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915 5 SHEETS SHEET 3- A. 1. FOREMAN. BOTTLE WASHING, RINSING, AND STERILIZING MACHINE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I9l0- 1,151,538.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

A. L. FOREMAN.

BOTTLE WASHING, RINSING, AND STERILIZING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 3. I910.

Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WITNESSES.

I 0M .13. agwufi mos nronsm'au, or BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

' sorrnnwnsmue, amsme, AND STERILIZING MACHINE. I

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that i, Amos L. FOREMAN, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Baltimore, Maryland, have invented certain I Improvements in-Bottle "Washing, Rinsing,

, and sterilizing Machinesjof which the following is a specification;

' lhe object of myfinven'tion is'to provide a machine for. efi'ecting thethorough washing, rinsing, ands erilizing efbottles the -'construction and, 1 auction of the various parts of themachinebeing fully. described hereinafter in connectionzwith the accompanying drawings, and the various parts of 15 the machine or theicombinationsofparts therein which constitute the subject of my invention being specifically claimed.

, .In the drawings-Figure1is aside eleva tion of a machine coxistrueted-- in accordance with my invention, certain of the upper parts of the machine being-omitted; Fig. 2 is a sectional plagafviewof the machine on the line li -a, 1;, Fig.3 is a plan view of-the device whereby the'bottle-carrying '25 (crates are caused tomove forward through.

.{ljthe machine; Fig. tie a plan view of a def vice for supporting. the crate-during the time that the latter is being moved vertically; F ig.- 5 is an invertedplan view of the mechanism whereby rotating movement is imparted to the series of bottle-cleaning brushes; Fig. Sis a transverse vertical section on the line l b, Fig. 1; Figs. 7 and 8 are. inverted plan views "of the devices through the medium of which the crates, with the bottles contained therein, are pushed downward; Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of one of the bottle-cleaning brushes and of the rotating device whereby it is carried; Fig. 10 is a'vertical sectional view of one of the devices employed in connection with the rinsing member of the machine Fi 11 is a vertical sectional view of one of the devices employed in connection with the sterilizing member of the machine; Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of part of i the machine, and Fig. 13 is a vertical section of the'ineans employed for effecting depression of the bottle-carrying crates. Figs. 7, 8 and 12 are on a larger scale than Figs. 1 to a 6, and Figs. 9, 10, 11 and 13 are on a still larger scale.

Specification ot Letters Patent.

The machine com-prises a succession of Patented Aug. 24, 1915.

I Application filed March 3, 1910. Serial No. 547,034.

units similar to each other in general construction, the differences being only such as are necessitated by the difierent functions to be performed by the successive units of the machine. In the drawings, I have illustrated a machine comprisingthree units, one for efl'ecting the brush washing of'the bottles, an-

other for eifecting the rinsing of thebottles after they have been brushed, and athir'd for effecting the sterilizing of the bottles after they have been brushed and rinsed, but other units may be added, if desired, for I instance, there may be in advance of the brush washing unit, one for treating the bottles with an alkalisolution' for loosening the dirt and there may be a unit beyond the sterilizing unit for effecting the drying of the sterilized bottles, although, ordinarily, the heat of the bottle when it leaves the sterilizer is sufficient to cause the spontaneous drying of the same.

A general description ofone unit will suffice for all and I will therefore ,describe at the outset a single unit and those cooperating parts which are alike in all of the units and will then describe those features of each unit'in which it differs from the others. -Each unit comprises a tank 1, 1 or 1 mounted upon legs 2 which may rest directly upon the floor ,of'the room or apartment'in which the 'machine is situated or may be mounted upon and secured to a bed I plate or foundation common to all of the units, or may constitute a part of said bed plate or foundation. Each tank 1, 1 or 1" is preferably of circular form and has mounted upon the top of it a section 3 of a runway which supports the bottle-carrying crates w as they are being fed through the machine, thisrunwayzhaving an extension 4 at one end of the machine for receiving the crates carrying the dirty bottles and a similar extension 4 at the opposite end of the machine for receiving the crates carrying the bottles which have been brushwashed, rinsed and sterilized' Mounted in and extending above the tank at each side of the same is a post 5, these posts serving'as vertical guides for arms 6 projecting from arectangular frame 7 the latter serving.

support thebottle-carrying-crate whilee 10 6 same is being pushed down into the talnk by the mechanism hereinafter described, each of these frames 7 being normally held in its raised position by means of counterbalance weights 9 connected to chains 10 which pass over sheaves 11 mounted u'pon hearings on the runway 3 and are connected to arms-12 on the frame 7, as shown in i -l. Rising: movement of the frame 7 is arrested when it reaches its'proper position lay-contact of the arms (3 with a frame in) (Fig. 12) mounted in the upper portion of the tank, and carrying brushes ll for scrubbing the outer sides of the bottle-car rving crates as the latter descend into and rise from the tanlc'.

The bottle-cariwing crate ,1 is pushed down into the tank I, by means of a frame 13 carried b v the lower end of a piston rod 16. which has a crosshead 1T guided vertically upon the posts 5, said frame 15 havinn'. at each end, one or more (in the present instance. two) spring-pressed plungers 1!) (Fig. 13) \\hicl1. as the frame I?) is depressed.

inn'to prevent the impartin; of any shockor jar to the crate and its bottles when the pusher begins to act upon the crate. t he rod 16 has a piston JO'which tits 1 a. cylinder 'Jl mounted upon a d. 22 at the upper ends of the posts i the rod 4 16 passing through suitable stuffing: boxes in each head of the cylinder 21 and also carrying a'piston 33 contained in a cylinder 2-. above and in line with the cylindcr 21. as shown in Fig. 13. said cylinder 24 being open to the free inflow and egress of air atits lower end but being provided with two check valves 25 and 2b, the he k valv 2.3 being located at the upper end of the cylinder and being; constructed to open outwardly and the check valve 26 being located some distancebelmv the upper end of the c lindcr and being constructed to open lvloreuieut of the piston 20 in the cylinder 53?. caused by the. action thereupon of steam, air, water or other fluid, under pressure, dau'ived from a pipe 27 which is connected to a four-way valve '29, the latter h a branch 30 leading to the lower end or the cylinder 21 and another branch 31 leading to the upper endof said cylinder, each of these branches being provided with a. regulating valve 32, whereby the flow 'tlji'roug'h, the same can be restricted, as de- The four-Way valve, alsocommunicates "h an exhaust pipe 3 and when said valve 1 T .i on shown in Fig. 13, ier g1 ssure is directed inch oins to We lower end contact with the upper faces of theends of the bottle crate and push said crate in the upper end of the cylinder 24 by the' descent of the piston 23 therein, until after said piston has passed below the lower check valve 26. which permits the air to enter the cylinder 24 above the piston.

Whenthe four-way alive 29 is adjusted to the position shown in Fig 13, the piston 20 is caused to rise in thevcylinder 21, this rise being relatively slow and being dependent upon the freedom of exhaust through the regulating; valve 32 and check valve 25.

The four-\va valve .fi'of each unit of the machine has a handle 34. all of these handles bein; connected by a rod 35 and the handle of the end valve bein, extended to form a lever 36 whereby all of the valves may be simultaneously operated and the depressor frames 15 of all of the units of the machine thereby caused to descend and ascend simultaneously.

The bottle-carr ving crates .1' are fed forward overtbc runway 3 by means of a pusher frame 40. as shown in Fig. 3. this frame having a crossbar {H at its rear end for engaging the rearmost crateand.prop erly spaced lugs 42 on each side of the frame for engaging the crates in advance, the frame havin a, handle bar lilwnereby it may be operated. a

Forward movement of the pusher frame is effected when thesupporting frame 7 and depressor frame 15 are in their elevated positions.- and such movement serves to bring a bottle-carrying crate directly above a. supporting frame 7 of each of the tanks 1, the frame 40 being retracted when the bot: tie-carrying crates have been lowered into the tanks so as to be in a position to again push them forward when they rise from the. tanks.

In each unit of the machine the bottles are treated while in an inverted position in the crate. luthat unit of the machine in which the brush washing of the bottlesis.

effected. there are as many brushes 45 as there arebo'ttles in the crate, each of these brushes being adapted to enter one of the bottles as the crate is'pushed down into the tank and there are also other brushes 46 located in rows between the rows of brushes 45 and serving to wash the outsides of the bottles.

Each of the brushes 4-5 is carried by a spindle 47 which, as shown in Fig.9, is

ill)

the crank pins of all of the disks are fitted to openings in a frame 54 which has another opening for the reception of an ec: centric disk 5.5 (or a crank pin) on a vertical shaft 56, the latter being free to turn in hearings in the bottomof the tank 1 and in a spider 57 below said tank.

The shaft 56 is provided With a spiral toothed gear wheel 59 which meshes with a similar gear wheel 60 on a horizontal shaft 61, rotatably mounted in hearings on the spider 57 and provided, at its outer end, with a pulley 62 for receiving a driving belt. Any other desired means of rotating the shaft 56, may, however, be fldOPt8d,fOl' instance, the same may be directly connected, to arotary engine of any suitable type.

Each of the brushes consists of bristles confined to and projecting from a twisted wire or other suitable core 63 which is'so disposed as to project beyond the shaft47 on one side and thereby cause an eccentric disposition of the brush material in respect to said shaft. I have found in practice, that this disposition of the brush material provides for a more effective cleansing of the bottles than'when said brush material projects uniformlyon all sides of the shaft. The brushes 46 are carried by spindles fixedly mounted upon a frame 64 which is vertically guided upon'posts G5 in the tank 1 and is supported upon coiled springs 66 surrounding said posts, as shown in Fig. 12.

When,"therefore, the bottle-carrying crate is pushed down into the tank the rapidly revolving brushes 45 are caused to enter the bottles and in a short time the bottles partake of a portion of the rotating movement of e brushes, whereby the stationary brushes 46 are caused to effect the washing of the outer sides of the bottles at the same time that the rotating brushes 45 are washing the inner sides of the bottles.

During the washing operation, the bottles are completely submerged, the brush washing tai-k being kept filled with water up to a level which will insure such submersion of the bottles.

This supply of water for the brush wash ing tank is derived from a pipe 70 which communicates with the tank 1 through a valved branch 71, the heating of the water in the tank 1 being effected by'injecting into the. same the steam from the exhaust pipe'33'from the valve 29 corresponding to said tank 1,- and also by. means of live steam conveyed to the pipe 71 through 'a valvedbranch 72 of the steam pipe 27 which supplies the motive fluid for the'cylinders 21'.

The rinsing tank 1 is likewisesupplied with a mixture of steam and water; through a branch 73 of the water pipe 70, and this 1 tank also receives the exhaust steam from the valves 29 employed in connection with both of the tanks l and 1", these pipes joining in a common pipe 74:. The hot water is not admitted directly to the tank lg I however, but first enters a compartment 75: formed on the bottom of the said tank 1", as shown in Fig. 12, and from this compartment the hot water under pressure escapes through nozzles 76 screwed into the bottom of the tank and projecting upwardly into the same, each of these nozzles being split at the upper end, as shown in Fig. 10,. and having in its lower portion openings 77 for the admission of water from the tank, these openings being located directly above the ends of a pin 78 extending across the nozzle and swerving to divide thebody of hot water. ascending in said nozzle so as to pro duce an action somewhat like thatof an ejector, and cause an-iuflow of water from the tank into the nozzle 76, the combined volumes of water being forcibly ejected from the tops of the'nozzles, so as to strike" the insides of the bottles as the bottle crates are lowered into the tank, thereby causing a rapid. fiow of the hot waterthrongh the bottles as long as the nozzles project into the same, the water jets causing the body of water in the tank 1 to continue in a. state of ebullition when the bottles have been removed therefrom.

The sterilizing tank l likewise has a com- .partment'79 on the bottom of'the same, this compartment being supplied with a mixture of steamand water through a branch pipe 90 and dischargingthe same through nozzles;

91 which are secured to nipples92, Fig. 11 screwed into the base ofthe tank 1, How

through the nozzles being normally prej vented by means of a valve 93 adapted to a seat at the base of the nipple and normally maintained in contact with said seat by means of a coiled spring 94 interposed between the nipple 92 and a collar 95 on the valve stem .96, as shown in Fig. 11.

The'nozzle 91 is split at its upper end in i the same way as the nozzle. 76 and the valve stem 96 projects above the top of the nozzle,

so that whenthe bottles are lowered into the tank 1 there will be no flow through the nozzles until the bottoms of the bottles strike the projecting ends of the valve stems 96,

whereupon the valves will be opened and there willbe a flow of steam and water through the nozzles and into the bottles. This flow at. first will consist of the hot water with which the nozzle Was filled be.- fore the opening of the valve 93 and after tanks 1 1 the same has been ejected there will be a flow o!" hot wate' and steam from the compartment .7 the proportions of water and steam being so regulated that the desired heat for sterilizing purposes will be maintained.

The inverted bottles are supported by the bottom wires .1." of the crates. and are held in an upright position by a rack .1 in each oi the crates. and in order to str.-lighten the bottles in the crate. in case they should have assumed other than; a 'vertieal position therein. ea h of the depressor l'rames I5 is provided with downwardtv' projecting, pins. or studs 9T. (Fig. 13) which. by coniaet with the sides of tlnubottles. serve to pro i-erly adjust the same 'in the crates. the eentral studs oi the group being. by preterenee. beveled at their lower ends to aid in pertorn'ianee of this function. and the central studs ot' the group in the depressor frame 15 corresponding with the brush washing unit of the machine being provided with brush material so as to supplement the action of the brushes 4 in washing the outsides of the bottles.

The depressor frames 1 are also. by preferenee. provided with plugs (Fig. 12E) of rubber. cork, or other elastie or semi-elastic material for bearing upon the bottoms of the bottles and preventing the same from eoming in contact with the metal, of which the frame is composed and which. it brought into toreible "ontaet with the bottom of :1 bottle. might tend to 'lraeture the same.

The water is prevented lroni rising above the desired level in each of the tanks 1, l or I, by drainin water therel'rom, either continuously and in limited volume or intermittently and in greater volume. by manipulation of a drain valve 100, with which each of the tanks isprovided.

While heated water is used in each ol the and l", the temperature ol the water in the ditt'erent tanks varies. bein least in the brush-witshin tank I. and greatest in the sterilizing tank 1' and being regulated by properly )ropo1.'tioning the relative volumes of steam and water admitted to said tanks, which regulation is efteeted by manipulation of suitable 'alves with whieh the steam and water pipes are provided. The tennierature ol the bottles, therefore, increases progressively as they pass through the machine. consequently by the time they reach the sterilizing tank. they are tree from liability to fracture by reason of any considerable difference between the temperature of'the bottle and that ot' the mixture of steam and water admitted there to for sterilizing purposes The air trapped in the inverted bottles they are being submerged in the tanks is rapidly l'orced out ol the same, either by the action oi the brushes in the tank I or by the forcible jets of water. or steam and water entering the bottles in the tanks I and l.

The crates .1 are the ordinary wooden crates in which the bottles are packed ri 'ht side up for storage or shipment. no speciai eonhiining case or crate being needed for the washing of the bottles. and the crates themselves being thoroughly cleaned at the same time that the bottles are being washed.

I claim:

I. In a bottle washing: maehine. the combination ol a series o'l" tanks. eaeh having bottle cleaning: devices therein. a runway for battle earl'ying crates extending over the series of tanks. means for lowerin :1 watt into each tank and raising it therefrom, and a crate feeding deviee comprising a longitudinally guidwhtrame having; rigid pushers for acting upoh the crates and carrying the same forward l'rom tank to tank. I

2. In a bottle washing machine. the combination ol a series of tanks. each having bottle cleaning: devices therein. a runway for bottle carrying crates extending over the series o'l' tanks. n was for lowering a crate into each tank. and raising; it therefrolm'a crate feeding device comprising a longit ndi nally guided frame having rigid pushers tor acting upon the crates and carrying the same l'orward 'lrom tank to tank, and means for restoring said feeding device to its retracted position when the crates are lowered in the tanks.

fl. In a bottle washing machine. the combination of a tank, bottle cleaning deviees therein. a verti ally guided supporting frame for a bottle carrying crate, and adepressor frame aeting upon said crate to force it down into the tank. said depressor i'rame ha ring bottle (entering devices thereon which lit between the bottles inthe crate.

I. In a bottle washing); machine, the eon] bination of a tank means for maintaining; a. body of water in said tank nozzles projectin; upwardly into the. tank and having openingstherein. pins crossing the nozzles below said openings. and means for supplyin water under pressureto the lower ends of the nozzles.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subseribing witnesses.

' AMOS L. FOR EMAN.

\vitnesses:

Kiv'rn A1 Bic/tom), tlanuxron -D. TURNER. 

